James Pearce
Career Summary
James Pearce Jr. is an edge defender from Charlotte, North Carolina, who played at Tennessee before the Atlanta Falcons selected him in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Early Life
Pearce is from Charlotte, North Carolina. Tennessee lists his full name as James Cecil Pearce Jr.
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High School
Pearce attended Chambers High School in Charlotte. He helped the program reach four consecutive North Carolina Class 4A state championship games, including state titles in 2019 and 2020. As a senior, he recorded 14.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two safeties and two interceptions.
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College Career
Pearce played three seasons at Tennessee, appearing in 39 games with 12 starts. He totaled 71 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, 27 quarterback hurries, an interception returned for a touchdown, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
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Path to the NFL
The Atlanta Falcons selected Pearce with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft after trading back into the round. He entered the draft after recording 17.5 sacks across his final two Tennessee seasons.
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NFL Career
Pearce began his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons after the club selected him in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Career Accomplishments
Pearce earned first-team All-SEC recognition in 2023 from the AP and coaches, then was a first-team All-SEC selection by the coaches in 2024 and a second-team AP selection. He was a semifinalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards in 2024. His 19.5 career sacks tied for 10th in Tennessee history.
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Playing Style
NFL draft analysis described Pearce as a long, lean edge rusher with explosive takeoffs, speed-to-power and the ability to create quick pressure by working around protection. The analysis also cited his closing speed and potential as a high-ceiling pass rusher.
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Sources for this section
31187, 00-0040578, 2003-10-12, James Pearce, James, Pearce
MFT PLAYER RANKINGS
Current player ranking
MFT Score: 77.3
2026 preseason baseline. Position-relative and updated through the site’s weekly review process.